Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit break down matchup when Alabama has ball against Georgia
By David Wasson
Published:
Former Alabama coach Nick Saban and analyst Kirk Herbstreit went to the video screen again on ESPN’s College GameDay on Saturday morning, giant pointy sticks in hand to break down the Crimson Tide’s offense against Georgia’s defense ahead of their matchup tonight in Athens (7:30 pm ET, ABC).
Overlooking for a moment that both Saban and Herbstreit look alarmingly like KFC’s Colonel Sanders in all-white getups to stay in the spirit of the Penn State-Oregon game, Saban analyzed both Alabama’s offense and what the No. 5 Bulldogs might do to stymie the 17th-ranked Tide.
“The big difference is (Alabama quarterback) Ty Simpson is playing with confidence, but I think one of the most important things playing against Georgia is that you gotta be able to establish the run so that you have balance on offense, you can’t let them tee off and get you in third and long,” Saban said while diagramming an Alabama running play against Wisconsin. “This is going to be one of the most challenging things to do, because Georgia is so good and prides themselves against the run.”
Saban then got a little fired up noticing the forceful blocking by Alabama offensive linemen on the same run.
“Watch these guys strike these blocks. I love this,” Saban said. “There is nothing better in football than that. Flat back at half speed and knock them back.”
Saban would go on to diagram some Tide passing attack success, and pointed out that the Tide will have more difficulty against Georgia than it did against the Badgers two weeks ago.
“Georgia has a hundred ways to press you, especially on third down,” Saban said. “If (Alabama) can’t run the ball and create balance and stay out of third-and-long… you gotta be able to handle this pressure, or Georgia will just wear your ass out.”
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
